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NINE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY associations issued a joint statement at the 2026 Roadmaps to New Nuclear conference in Paris, France, reaffirming their commitment to advancing the peaceful use of nuclear technology amid shifting geopolitical uncertainty and growing energy security concerns. The event was convened by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and co-hosted by the US Department of Energy.
ADEQUATE URANIUM RESOURCES are available, but sustained investment is essential to support global nuclear capacity growth, according to the new report ‘Uranium 2026: Resources, Production and Demand’ (the Red Book). The global uranium sector is responding to growing interest in pursuing new nuclear energy capacity around the world with expenditures in uranium exploration and mine development increasing significantly in recent years.
THE US DEPARTMENT OF Agriculture has launched the new Affordable Rural Cooperative programme, providing $175m in of loans and grants to support rural electrical cooperatives in modernising their transmission systems and expanding their nuclear energy supply. The funds are supplied under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
THE US DEPARTMENT OF War plans to install a micro-modular reactor (MMR) at Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana by September 2028. NWS Crane is the third-largest naval installation in the world. MMR installation will be executed through the Army’s Janus Program, in coordination with the Department of the Navy, the State of Indiana and others.
SAFETY AND SECURITY JAPAN’S CHUBU ELECTRIC Power Company, which was found to be falsifying data on the seismic resistance of the Hamaoka NPP, has decided to withdraw its application to restart the plant. The investigation into the violations began in May 2025, but data was distorted even after that. In January, Chubu admitted that it used one method to assess seismic resistance, while reporting another method in the documentation submitted to the regulator. The Chubu management resigned.
PAKISTAN AND THE INTERNATIONAL Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed a safeguards agreement for the 1,200MWe Chashma 5 nuclear power plant. The agreement was signed in Vienna by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission chairman Dr Raja Ali Raza Anwar and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, on the sidelines of the 70th IAEA General Conference. It follows unanimous approval of the safeguards by the IAEA Board of Governors in March.
8 | October 2026 |
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Ukraine Chornobyl waste management starts The Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRM) at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) in Ukraine has shipped the first seven packages of low-level and intermediate- level waste for disposal, ChNPP reported. The waste was transferred to a Specially Equipped Near- surface Disposal Facility for Solid Radioactive Waste (ENSDF), which is part of the ‘Vector’ complex. In late May, the ICSRM entered the initial
operation phase after receiving the relevant licence from the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU). This transitioned the long-term project into an active processing line. The ICSRM is a sub-facility of the Vector complex, which is part of the State Specialised Enterprise “Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management” (SSE CERWM), the National Operator for radioactive waste management. ICSRM is designed to receive and process solid radioactive waste accumulated during the ChNPP’s operational period, waste generated during the plant’s decommissioning, and operational radioactive waste from the “Shelter” object. It operates as a single, cohesive technological line split into four distinct processing sections, commonly referred to as ‘Lots’, each of which plays a specific role in the waste life cycle. Lot 0 serves as a temporary storage vault
specifically designated for low- and intermediate- level long-lived waste, as well as high-level waste. Lot 1 handles the active extraction of legacy low-, medium-, and high-level long-lived solid waste from the plant’s existing historical storage bunkers. It has an operational design capacity to retrieve 3m³ of waste a day and a design life of 30 years. Lot 2 renders the bulk of the raw waste safe. It sorts and processes solid and liquid radioactive wastes at a rate of 20m³ a day through a sequence of sorting, high-force compaction, incineration, and cementation (immobilisation in concrete matrices). Lot 3, the engineered near-surface disposal
facility (ENSDF), is the final destination for short- lived low-level and intermediate-level waste. It has a capacity of 55,000m³, designed to safely contain the waste packages for a 300-year storage cycle. Lots 0, 1 and 2 of the ICSRM are located directly on the main ChNPP industrial site. Lot 3 is located 11km away, in the perimeter of the Vector complex. The ICSRM is currently processing solid
radioactive waste accumulated during the ChNPP operation and stored in the solid radioactive waste storage facility, which has been in operation since 1978. This waste includes a range including of materials used personal protective equipment, insulation materials and ion-exchange resins. The waste is removed from the old storage
facility using Lot 1 and is then loaded into a special transport container with a 1.3m³ volume and then to Lot 2’s hot cell, intended for all categories of solid radioactive waste sorting and processing. Following characterisation, the waste is loaded into 165-litre drums and compacted. The immobilised and packaged radioactive waste is then transported to ENSDF for disposal. The design and construction of the ICSRM were heavily funded by the European Commission (EC).
United Kingdom ONR sets out reform programme The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has set out a significant programme of reform designed to expedite nuclear project delivery across the UK. This was in response to a letter from the Chancellor, John Healey, on the implementation of the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025 conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, which recommended a “radical reset” of the UK’s nuclear industry. The review made recommendations aimed at cutting costs, streamlining judicial reviews, and reducing the timeframes needed to deliver major civil and defence nuclear infrastructure projects. ONR CEO and Chief Nuclear Inspector
Mike Finnerty described how the regulator is transforming its approach to keep pace with a rapidly growing nuclear sector, while continuing to maintain strong safety, security and safeguards standards, saying: “I fully support the review’s conclusions that radical reforms are needed.” Central to this transformation is ONR Together, a new rolling strategy and through which ONR aims to strengthen accountability, professional judgement and organisational effectiveness. ONR has also created a Lead Nuclear Regulator Group (LNRG) strengthen coordination between regulators, reduce duplication, and enable issues to be identified and resolved earlier across major programmes. Work is underway to implement Lead Regulator Models (LRMs) for Generic Design Assessment (GDA) and Low-Level Waste Repository (LLWR) programmes while early engagement with a major defence project is helping to test the model and demonstrate its potential benefits. An Industry CEO Forum has been established bringing together senior leaders from across government, industry and regulation to address the behaviours that contribute to unnecessary delay or hinder progress, encouraging a more collaborative and outcomes-focused approach to delivery. ONR is supporting government proposals for a Commission for Nuclear Regulation, which will improve coherence, transparency, accountability and pace of delivery across the sector while maintaining standards and regulatory independence. Revised safety case guidance has been published to help industry produce clearer and more proportionate safety arguments without compromising standards. This includes championing a step change in safety case practice, moving away from unnecessarily complex and voluminous documentation towards concise, evidence-based safety arguments focused on risks and controls. The ONR commissioned an independent initial
economic assessment to evaluate the potential savings arising from the recommendations of the 2025 Review. “Our recent experience demonstrates the benefits that can be achieved through international collaboration and improvements to regulatory processes,” Finnerty said. Resource deployment was reduced by more than 35% while maintaining the same scope and level of regulatory rigour. As a result, both GDAs were delivered several million pounds under budget.
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